Stop mechanism for textile-machines.



1.1;. PRATT.

STOP MECHANISM FOR TEXTILE MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 12, I914.

1,140,063. Patented May 18, 1915.

INVENTOR ATTORNEY THE NORRIS PETERS CO1. F'HOTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON. D,C.

resents aside elevation of the same; Fig. 3

JOSEPH c. PRATT, 0F IEI-IILAIDELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

STOP MECHANISM FOR TEXTILE-MACHINES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH O. PRATT, a citizen of the United States,residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Stop Mechanism for Textile-Machines, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to an automatic knock-off or stop mechanism foruse with drawing machines, gill boxes or like machines wherein aplurality of slivers are doubled and drawn into a single elongated,narrowed and thinned strand or ribbon, which in turn may be drawn with"other similar slivers in a similar manner. In machines of this characteras heretofore constructed it is a common happening for a sliver to breakduring the drawing operation, which, if unnoticed by the operator,causes the resultant strand or combined sliver to be of less weight thanrequired, and where there are many successive drawings this differencein weight may be materially less than the normal estimated weight.

It is an object of my invention to provide a mechanism directly underthe control of the sliver or slivers being fed to the machine a andwhich is positively actuated to cause the machine to stop should one ormore of the slivers break, thus preventing further feeding ofthe'slivers or ends."

It is a further object, of 'my invention to provide a stop mechanism fordrawing machines or gill boxes which when actuated by the breaking of asliver or slivers renders the machine inoperative until the brokenstrands have been repaired or replaced.

It further consists of other novel features of construction, all as willbe hereinafter fully set forth.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention, I have shown in theaccompanying drawings one form thereof which is at present'preferred byme, since the same has been found in practice to give satisfactory andreliable results, although it is to be understood that the various,instrumentalities of which my invention consists can be variouslyarranged and organized and'that my invention is not limited to theprecise arrangement and organization of these instrumentalities asherein shown and described.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 represents a perspective of aknock-0E mechanism embodying my invention; Fig. 2 rep- Specification ofLetters Patent.

Patented May 18, 1915 Application filed February 12, 1914. Serial No.818,303.

represents a plan of the device; Fig. 4: represents one of the detectorsin detail; Fig. 5

represents one of the trip armsin detail.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts. e

1 designates the frame of a drawing machine .or gill-box mechanismhaving an upright or standard 2 secured thereto at a suitable point, andcarrying a plate 3, the position of which is between the sliver can orsource of supply and the machine whose function is'to draw the endsoreslivers into a combined single strand. The plate 3 serves as aguidefor the ends or silvers and is provided with a, plurality of sliverguides 4:,

preferably in the formwof openings which are of course arranged in anydesired or convenient manner and serve to pass the. several independentslivers to the drawing frame, Adjacent each of the guides 4- I have, inthe preferred form of my invention, mounted-a detector 5 whichispivoted-to the plate 3 in such a position that it Will be held in araised position by the str'andvor sliverpassing through the adjacentguide. As here shown there are siX guides in the plate 3, each of whichhas adjacent thereto one oflthe detectors 5 so-that when all of thestrands are being. fed to the machine each detector will be supportedand ride upon the 7 the'opposite side of the plate, each pair being thusin juxtaposed relation, the object of which construction will beapparent when it is stated thatthefl automatic knock-01f mech anism ormeans forv stopping. the machine is controlled by a change in positionofany of the detectors. In other words, in the pre ferred form all of thedetectors operate and control the same mechanism for bringing themachine to rest. This stop mechanism comprises a rod 7 mounted forsliding movement in suitable guide brackets 8 of the standard 1, andcarrying a plurality of trip arms 9, each of which is so' arranged andpositioned as to be in the path of movement of one of the detectors 5.In my present construction the trip arms 9 areshown in the form of'aloop member, each side of which movement of; either one of the adjacentpair at 19 to a fixed part.

of detectors and the rod 7, therefore, may be set into operation by themovement of any or all of the detectors.

10 designates a lever arm pivoted at 11 to a suitable part of themachine frame 1 and connected at one end to the rod 7 On the oppositeend of said lever there is a counterweight 12, which is accuratelyadjusted to maintain the rod 7 in substantial equilibrium whereby aslight increase in weight of the rod 7 will cause these conditions to beovercome and result in the rod moving automatically to its lowerposition. This movement of the rod is utilized to bring a block 13,carried by the end of the rod 7, into alinement with and between a slidebar 14 and a striker or hammer 15'. The striker 15 is continuouslyreciprocating out of contact with the bar 14, but in such closeproximity thereto as to cause its motion to be transmitted theretoshould the block 13 be dropped or interposed between the adjacent endsof these members. The striker 15 receives its motion from a side-facedcam 16, mounted upon the main shaft 17 of the machine, through themedium of a link 18 connected at one end to the rod 15 and pivoted A camroller 20 is mounted on the opposite end of the link 18 and is normallyheld in contact with the cam by a spring 21. Thus as the cam rotates thelever 18 will shift the striker 15 toward the bar 14 and the returnmovement will be made under the action of the spring 21. The bar 14 isutilized to transmit movement to the belt shifting mechanism so thatwhenever the said bar is actuated the belt will automatically be thrownfrom the driving pulley to the loose pulley, and the machine of coursebrought to rest.

In the present embodiment of my invention I have preferred to employ thefollowing mechanism for transmitting movement of the bar 14 to the beltshifting mechanism, but I do not wish to be restricted or limited as tothis particular mechanism, since it will readily be apparent thatvarious mechanical expedients may be employed for the purpose. 22designates the main shift rod for throwing the belt from one pulley toanother, the same being arranged so that it may be conveniently operatedfrom either side of the machine, thus allowing the machine to bemanually stopped according to the position of the operator. 23designates an auxiliary shift rod connected to the main rod 22 by meansof a pivoted bell crank 24. This latter rod is arranged to be operatedat either end of the machine and is also utilized to transmit themovement of the bar 14 to the belt shifting mechanism. The bar 14 ispivoted to one end of a lever 25 pivoted at 26 to a suitable part of themain frame, and having its opposite end preferably ofi'-set, as shown at27 to normally project into the cam and its adjuncts.

path of movement of one arm of a band spring 28. The band spring isnormally fixed by one of its members to the main frame 1, and when it isengaged by the end of the lever 25, the said spring is under ten sionand locked against movement. Adjacent the band spring 28 I have, in thepresent instance, arranged an arm 29 which is fixed to the auxiliary rod23 and is normally in close proximity to and in the path of movement ofthe free end of the band spring so that in case the lever 25 is movedout of engagement with the band spring, the latter being released willexpand, thus striking the arm 29 and causing the desired move ment ofshifting the belt to be transmitted 'to the main rod 22. y

In describing the operation of the device, it will be assumed that themachine is runni-ng and the sliver or slivers are traversing the guidesin the plate 3 to be fed into the drawing frame or other machine of likecharacter. Under the foregoing conditions the several detectors 5 areeach resting upon one of the ends or slivers and are thus held out ofcontact with the trip arms 9 as will be understood. WVith the machinethus operating under normal conditions, the rod 7 is balanced by. thecontrol device therefor, and the abutment or striker block 13 is raisedout of the path of movement of the striker 15, which is of coursecontinuously reciprocating through the medium of the In case any of theslivers should break or cease to be fed to the plate guide or guides,the detector normally supported by that particular sliver will drop bygravity and its projecting lug strike the adjacent trip arm 9 of the rod7, thus causing the latter to drop by gravity and bring the block 13between the bar 14 and striker 15. The block in its new positionsubstantially closes the space between the abutting ends of these tworods, and consequently the striker 15 on its next forward movementimpacts with the block 13, transmitting movement to the bar 14 and thusrocking the lever 25. The movement of the lever 25 causes its free endto be shifted to one side of the band spring releasing the latter whichimmediately springs outward, striking the arm 29, and thereby actuatingthe auxiliary rod 23 so that the bell crank 24 is rocked and the rod 22operated to change the belt from the driven pulley to the loose pulley,in consequence of which the machine automaticallycomes to rest.

It will now be apparent that I have devised a complete unitary mechanismfor automatically stopping a machine in case one or more of the ends orslivers breaks while being fed, and which furthermore is renderedinoperative until the broken sliver has been repaired or replaced by anew end Attention is further directed to my novel construction ofproviding a pivoted member or members normally supported by the'movingslivers or strands, but which are inoperative as a part of the knock-offmechanism, until there comes a break in the feeding of one or more ofthe slivers. F urthermore the mechanism for controlling the stopping ofthe machine is simple in construction, positive in operation and iseffectively controlled by the slivers before they enter the drawingframe, gill box or like machine. It will further be evident that thedevice is adaptable to substantially all types of doubling, drawing,twisting and roving machines or other machines of like character.

It will now be apparent that I have devised a novel and usefulconstruction which embodies the features of advantage enumerated asdesirable in the statement of the invention and the above description,and

of the invention or sacrificing any of its ad vantages.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protectby Letters Patent is:

1. In a device of the character stated, the combination of a platehaving two rows of openings therein, a detector pivoted adja-.

cent each opening and having a portion projecting between the rows ofopenings, each of said detectors being normally supported by a sliverpassing through the adjacent opening, a rod slidably mounted adjacentsaid plate and in alinement with the space between said rows ofopenings, means to normally balance said rod in raised position, aplurality of trip arms carried by said rod and laterally disposed towardsaid plate, and located respectively in the path of movement of saiddetectors when released by the breaking of a sliver or slivers, andmeans controlled by the lowering of said rod caused by the dropping ofone or more of said detectors into engagement with said trip arms forautomatically stopping said machine.

2. In a device of the character stated, the combination of a fixed platehaving a plurality of openings therein, a detector pivoted adjacent eachopening and having a portion projecting between juxtaposed openings,each of said detectors being normally supported by a sliver passingthrough the adjacent opening, arod slidably mounted adjacent said plateand in alinement with the space between said openings, means to normallymaintain said rod in raised position, a plurality of laterally disposedtrip arms carried by said rod and located respectively below and in thepath of move-' ment of said detectors, and means controlled by thelowering of said rod, caused by the release of any of said detectors,for automatically stopping said machine.

of the opening, each of said detectors being normally supported by asliver passing through the adjacent opening, a rod slidably mountedadjacent said plate and in aline-,

ment with the space between said openings, means to normally maintainsaid rod in raised position, a plurality of laterally disposed trip armscarried by said rod, each trip arm having a portion located below and inthe path of movement of a pair of said detectors, and means controlledby the lowering of said rod, caused by the release of any of saiddetectors, for automatically stopping said machine.

4:. In a device of the character stated, a fixed plate having aplurality of openings to guide-a number of slivers, detectors pivotedupon said plate respectively above said openings and each having'alaterally disposed extension projecting to one side of the adjacentopening, each detector being normally supported by the sliver passingthrough the respective plate opening, a rod movably mounted in aposition to be controlled by all of said detectors, means to name this26th of January, A. D. 1914.

JOSEPH o. PRATT.

In the presence of JAS. F. GREEN, R. WALTER ORAMP.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe -".Gommissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. r

